Air-brake coupling



(No Model.) l sheets-sheet 1. W. 8v B. S. H. HARRIS. AIR BRAKE GOUPLING.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. W; A. & B. S. H. HARRIS.

AIR BRAKE GOUPLING.

Patented Nov. l?, 1896.

(No Model.)

3. t e e h s s .fu e e h.. s n s. T... M. G ...m HD.. .w HG .E su Bm owR ...l AAA .u d o M 0 m No. 571,662. Patented Nov. 17, 1896.

ATTORNEYS'.

UNITED STATES PATENT Enron.

IVIIJLIAM A. IIr-XRRIS .AND .BENJAMIN S. l-I. HARRIS, OF GREENVII.LE,

SOUTH CAROLINA.

AIR-BRAKE eoUPLlNc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,662, dated November 17, 1896.

Application tiled February 2B, 1896.4 Serial No. 581,127. (No model.)

Be itknown that we, WILLIAM A. Hansis and BENJAMIN S. Il. Hansis, of Greenville, in the county of Greenville and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Air-Brake Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in airbralie couplings, and particularly Ain that class of such inventions represented by the apparatus covered by our former patent, No. oeil-,253, granted August G, 1895. The present invention is an improvement upon the devices covered by said patent, and relates especiallyto the means for operating the shifting regulating devices, and which serve to so set such regulating devices that the valve of the coupling on the end of the car nearest the engine will be held open if the car or cars be broken from the. train, so the brakes on suoli broken-off car or cars will be set, as will be readily understood. ln the present invention we operate such shifting regulating devices by air-pressure; and the invention consists, broadly, in the provision, in connection with such shifting regulating devices, of a fluid-operated piston by which to actnate the same, and specifically in the novel construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed ont in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure I is a side view, partly in section, showing our improved coupling. Ifig.y 2 is a detail transverse section.

y Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the main and by-pass cylinders in sectional perspective. Fig. i is a detail perspective view showing the restraining devices. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on about line 5 5, Fig. G. Fig. (3 is a section on about line 6 G of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section on about line 7 7, Fig. 5; and Fig. S is a detail view illustrating a slight modification, as presently described.

In our former invention above referred to the coupling A had a valve B and springs and coacting devices by which to close such valve when unrestrained, and we provide shifting devices by which to restrain the said valve-closing devices. Such shif tin g devices included astop C on one member of telescoping or shifting parts and a swinging arm I) on the other member, such arm D having a lng or portion E, which might be brought into alinement with the stop O, and so prevent the telescoping members from moving` to- N In our former patent vanes or wind-sails y were employed to actuate the shifting regulating device, which in certain adjustments opera-ted as a restraining' means to prevent the operation of the valve-closingmechanism. In our present invention we employ a iiuidoperated piston and intermediate devices, whereby a certain movement of such piston may restrain the operation of the valve-closing devices. In the construction shown and as preferred the piston F has its stem foonnected by a chain G, or it may be in other suitable manner with the arm D, so that an upward movement of the piston F will adjust the lug E into alinement with the stop O, so that if the couplings should become detached the said lug E by engaging the stop O will hold valve B open and so set the brakes.

In the construction shown the piston-cylinder is connected with and receives its pressure from the pipe II, which is shown as the signal-pipe, but manifestly this might be a separate pipe, as, for instance, on freighttrains. It is preferred to use in connection with the cylinder I what for convenience of reference we term the liv-pass cylinder J, and it is also preferred to form these c vlinders I and J together and to construct and connect them in the manner which will now be described.

Between the cylinders I and J are provided the couplings or connections I( and L to which the sections of pipe H are joined. The connection K faces the adjacent end of the carthat is to say, the end of the car having the IcoV coupling-valve to be controlled by the fluidoperated piston-while the coupling L faces in the opposite direction.

In the cylinder I we support the piston F, whose stem f projects and connects with the regulating devices, as before described, and this piston operates above a perforated crosspartition f' or other suitable stop. Below this stop j a port M leads into the Vcylinder I, such port communicating with the connection or inlet K and serving to admit air-pressure below the piston F when the pressure comes from said inlet K, and also permitting` the outlet of air entering` from the inlet L through port N in case pressure comes from the other direction. This is effected through the aid of a check preferably in the nature of a piston-check O, operating in the cylinder I, limited in its upward movement by the stop f and in its downward movement by a stop, which may be a stem O', as shown, or other suitable construction. This check O slightly exceeds the length of the port M, so that when the check is in its uppermost position the lower end m of the port is exposed, and when the check is in its lowermost position the upper end m' of said port is exposed. Now while the port M is preferably open between its ends m m', as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3, it should be understood that if closed between said ends, as indicated in Fig. 8, the operation presently described might be effected. In the operation of the described construction the check O, being in its down position resting on the stop O', if pressure enters from the port N it will force the check O up against the stop f and prevent the pressure from reaching the piston F, and when the check reaches its uppermost position it will expose the lower end m of the port M, so the air may pass out through such port and so form a direct passage from front to rear. If, however, the air comes in through port M, it will pass in above the check O and force the piston F upward, the pressure maintaining such piston up. lVhen the air comes in through port M and above the check O, the latter will be forced down, so that the air cannot pass back from the connection K to the connection L through the cylinder I. To permit such passage of the air backward during the operation of the signaling, we provide a by-pass, as will be presently described.

The cylinder .I has at its lower end a port P in communication with the connection or inlet K and also a port Q, which communicates with the connection L. Between these port-s P and Q is arranged a stop R, preferably a perforated partition, as shown. In this cylinder above the partition R we provide a piston S, having heads S S2. In this cylinder J if the air enters from connection K it forces the piston S up and passes out through the port Q to the connection L. Thus we furnish a passage from K through ports P and Q to L in one direction and from connection L through ports N and M to conn ection K, so that the air may pass back and forth through the sign al-pipe without destroying the proper operation of the piston F, which regulates the setting of the brakes by restraining the movement of the brake-closing devices. Thus it will be seen the air may play freely in one direction through one cylinder and in the opposite direction through the other cylinder, and we provide in both cylinders checking devices--that is to say, the check O and the piston S, which is practically a check, as if the air comes from connection L it will close the piston-check S2 down in such manner as to prevent the passage of air out through port P, whence it might pass to operate the piston F when not desired.

In operation the pressure back from the locomotive willset the piston F up in position to adjust the restraining devices to position to hold the valve from closing, so the brake will be set. It should be noticed that this operation is only effected in those of the cyiinders I of each car which are nearest the locomotive, so that if such car be broken from the train the brake will be set thereon, while the car left coupled with the locomotive wiil not be braked as its coupling-valve will be permitted to close.

Apart from the advantages incident to our present invention because it is a positivelyoperating device to control the valves, it is desirable over the wind-operated devices or' our former patent, because the present device accurately operates the restraining devices whether the train be on a level, ascending or descending a grade, and without being affected by the speed of the train, whereas in the wind-regulated device if the motion of the train was not suflicient to create the necessary draft or if the train were slowly ascending a grade and a car should break loose the brakes might not be set thereon.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An air-brake coupling provided with an automatically-operating valve and with a shifting regulating device, combined with a fluid-operated piston by which to actuate such device substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of an air-brake coupling having a valve, devices by which such valve may be automatically closed, restraining devices which in certain adj ustments may prevent the automatic closing of such valve, and a fluid-operated piston by which to set the restraining devices to such adjustment substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of an air-brake coupling having a valve, devices by which such valve may be automatically closed, a iiuidoperated piston, and intermediate devices whereby a certain movement of such piston may restrain the operation of the automatic yalve-closing devices substantially as set Orth.

IOO

IIO

' cylinder below and independently of the pisel. In an air-brake coupling the combination with the valve thereof of devices by which to close the same, restraining devices by which to hold such valve-closing devices from operating, a fluid-operated piston by which to actuate suoli devices, and the casing for such piston, having a by-pass and ports whereby the fluid may pass in one direction without operating said piston substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. An air-brake coupling provided With a valve, valve-closing devices, restraining devices for such valve-closer, and a cylinder having a piston by which to actuate the restraining devices and provided with ahy-pass and ports whereby the fluid may pass in one direction Without operating said piston substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination with the cylinder and the piston therein of the check operating in said cylinder belouT and independently of the piston, ports being provided whereby the actuating fluid may be admitted above orbelow said check substantially as set forth.

7. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of the cylinder, the piston therein, the check movable in said ton, the cylinder being provided with a port alongside the line of movement of the check and stop devices whereby the cheek in its opposite positions Will expose opposite ends of said port substantially as set forth.

8. ln an apparatus substantially as described the combination of the main cylinder, the by-pass cylinder and the piston and check in the main cylinder the said cylinders being provided with ports whereby the air may play l freely in one direction through one cylinder and in the opposite direction through the other cylinder substantially as set forth.

9. In an apparatusV substantially as described the combination of the two cylinders and ports and connections whereby air may pass in one direction through one cylinder and in the opposite direction through the other cylinder check devices in both said cylinders for preventing the reverse movement of the air therethrough and a piston in one of said cylinders substantially as set forth.

10. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination of the cylinder I having a stop f and ports M and N, the check limited in one direction by the stop f a stop for limiting the opposite movement of said check, the cylinder J having ports P and Q and a check in said cylinder J substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

11. In an air-brake coupling the combination of the valve, the carrier members sliding one upon the other, one of said members being provided with a stop, a shifting regulating device upon the other member provided With a portion arranged to engage the stop of the rst member, and the fluid-operating piston' arranged to aotuate said shifting regulating device all substantially as and for the purposes set forth` v l2. The combination of an air-brake coupling having a valve, mechanism by which such valve may be automatically closed, a fluid-operated device arranged to restrain the movement of said valve-closing mechanism, a casing inclosing said fluid-operated 

